Political slugfest over jaundice outbreak in Cuttack

Bhubaneswar: Cuttack mayor Subash Singh on Friday said the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) staff, along with health and family welfare department officials, visited the jaundice affected localities in Cuttack’s ward no.10 and 12 and took necessary steps to control the outbreak.Singh said a door-to-door survey is underway to identify residents showing symptoms of jaundice and to ensure early detection. He said the health department’s rapid response team was deployed to contain the outbreak and co-ordinate field-level measures. “Now the situation is under control,” he added.The jaundice outbreak in Cuttack has given rise to a political slugfest between Congress MLA Sofia Firdous and Cuttack mayor Subash Singh.Barabati-Cuttack MLA Sofia Firdous alleged that the mayor failed to address the jaundice problem. She said poor sanitation, mismanagement of civic infrastructure and the incapability of the mayor were responsible for the outbreak. “Drain water is getting mixed with drinking water supply and creating a jaundice situation in some localities after people used the contaminated water,” she said.Singh said the MLA does not know that water is supplied by a govt-run agency, Watco, not the CMC. “The housing and urban development department can take steps to change the agencies and carry out the sanitation works,” he added.Govt on Friday confirmed 13 more jaundice cases in Cuttack taking the total number to 21. The cases were reported from Mansinghpatna, Shaikh Bazaar and Mastram Matha. Official sources said the Hepatitis A virus was detected in the patients’ samples.City health officer Dr Nrupendra Satapathy said blood samples of 40 people were collected in 2 phases as part of the investigation. “A total of 21 people tested positive for Hepatitis-A. The jaundice-affected people are recovering at home. None of them is critical,” he added.He said disinfection was being done in that area. Drinking water was provided to affected people. An awareness programme was conducted to sensitise people about the disease.